Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Earlier this month, the Associated Press exposed yet another disturbing Chinese trade secret when it reported that some manufacturers in China are making children’s jewelry with the highly toxic metal cadmium. Children’s jewelry now joins the growing list of dangerous and sometimes deadly products pouring into the United States from China – a list that includes toys covered with lead paint, pet food and baby formula tainted with melamine, sulfuric drywall that has ruined thousands of homes, and other poorly made or defective merchandise.

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Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the world’s largest retailer, is pulling items of children’s jewelry known or suspected to be manufactured with high levels of toxic cadmium from store shelves. The move follows an Associated Press investigation published earlier this week which found some China-based manufacturers were creating children’s jewelry with varying amounts of cadmium — a heavy medal considered by the federal government to be one of the most toxic substances on earth.

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On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s priority list of the 275 most toxic substances in the environment, the heavy metal cadmium is ranked seventh. Unfortunately, in an investigative report, the Associated Press found that cadmium is being used in large quantities to make children’s jewelry and other products that are sold in the United States. The country of origin for almost all of these products is China.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced yesterday that RC2 Corp. of Oak Brook, Illinois has agreed to pay a $1.25 million civic penalty for importing toys to the United States that violated the federal lead paint ban. RC2 is the importer and seller of Thomas & Friends ™ Wooden Railway toys.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission unanimously approved a new rule that will require manufacturers of “durable” infant and toddler products to establish a product registration program. The Commission approved the new measure on December 16, 2009.

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Toys with lead paint, contaminated food, toxic drywall, defective all-terrain vehicles – these are just some of the Chinese exports that have spawned massive safety recalls and personal injury lawsuits in the last couple of years. In 2007, made-in-China products accounted for more than 82% of all U.S. consumer product recalls. Assuming that U.S.-China trade relations remain normal, what will the future of the American marketplace look like in 5 or 10 years? Will it be rife with all sorts of defective and dangerous imports or will Chinese manufacturers eventually embrace what it means to make a “quality” product?

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To help educate parents about toy safety, Consumer Product Safety CommissionChairman Inez Tenenbaum held a town-hall style meeting in New York City. Discussions centered on new federal safety rules that raise the standards for toys and help protect children from unnecessary harm.

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In June, as swimming pools opened for the summer across the country, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a safety advisory to the public in an effort to raise awareness about child drowning and the ways to prevent swimming related deaths and injuries. Now, as pools close for the fall and winter, a new CPSC advisory seeks to keep children safe in bathtubs and child bathing equipment. “After pools, more children drown in bathtubs than in any other product in and around the home,” the advisory says.

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Recognizing how online social networking tools are changing the way we stay connected to the people and things that matter to us, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has launched CPSC 2.0, an effort the CPSC describes as “a comprehensive social networking initiative that will make lifesaving and other safety information more accessible to consumers.”

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Young children are naturally curious, playful, and eager to pull themselves up onto anything that offers them a chance to stand upright. Too often, however, heavy pieces of furniture, appliances, television sets, and other heavy objects tumble down onto young ones, causing serious injury and in some cases death. To help lessen the number of household accidents, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a statement yesterday urging parents to safeguard their homes against these potential tragedies.

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